At UN, King Abdullah calls Israel’s presence in Syria ‘a regional threat’

Speaking to the UN, Jordan’s King Abdullah warns that the Israeli military presence and activities in southern Syria risk threatening Jordan directly, saying Amman will act to protect its border and water security.

“This Israeli government’s expansionist appetite is now a regional threat, and today Syria is the warning the international community is choosing not to see,” he says, accusing Israel of of creating “new facts” on the ground.

“For Jordan, there is no ambiguity. Any threat to our northern border, or our water security, is a threat to our national security,” says the king of Jordan, which shares a border with southern Syria. “Jordan will not look away,” he adds, referring to a deal doubling Israel’s treaty-mandated water supply to Jordan which expired in late 2025 and has not been renewed.